Where does Organdy come from?

Organdy comes from France, first documented in the 1800s.

Plate No. 100fabric

The crispest, sheerest cotton; the stiffness is acid-set and permanent.

First documented: 1800s
Origin: France, France
Fiber: cotton
Weave: sheer plain weave, acid-finished
Family: plain

Plate No. 100 · fabric

Organdy

Organdy is the crispest cotton there is: the sheerest, stiffest plain-woven cotton, made permanently transparent and wiry by a sulfuric-acid finish that partly dissolves and hardens the fiber surface. It is to cotton what organza is to silk, the architectural sheer, holding the pleats, ruffles, and standing collars of summer dresses, christening gowns, and pinafores. Its stiffness is structural and permanent, surviving washing, which is what separates true organdy from a merely starched lawn.

Illustration: a 1900s dressmakers workroom, a crisp sheer white summer dress with standing ruffles on a form, sunlight through tall windows — A 1900s dressmakers workroom, a crisp sheer white summer dress with standing ruffles on a form, sunlight through tall windows.

Named for

Of uncertain origin, possibly tied to Organzi or to the silk word organzine; the cotton sheer kept the name.

Also known as

organdie

Common questions

What is Organdy made of?: Organdy is the crispest cotton there is: the sheerest, stiffest plain-woven cotton, made permanently transparent and wiry by a sulfuric-acid finish that partly dissolves and hardens the fiber surface.
Where does Organdy come from?: Organdy comes from France, first documented in the 1800s.
What is Organdy named after?: Of uncertain origin, possibly tied to Organzi or to the silk word organzine; the cotton sheer kept the name.